Words By Zach Collier
Photography By Sarah Krick
Relentlessly driven; thoughtful and articulate; with the ability to release both pop punk anthems and dancefloor bangers, Hayes Warner is an artist to watch. Her new single, “ZIP,” is a fast-paced dancehall gem and a perfect teaser for her upcoming EP.
It’s October in New York City. Hayes Warner is sitting in a coffee shop near her childhood home. Whenever she needs to get work done, she loves to go to Blank Street Coffee where she used to do her homework in high school.
Most people wouldn’t assume a musician like Hayes Warner would “need to get work done.” But anyone familiar with the music industry knows that even People’s 2023 Emerging Artist to Watch has emails to respond to, Zoom calls to catch, contracts to sign, and (lucky for me) interviews to do.
“Something about being in the same environment of where I used to study for the SATs or do last-minute-studying gets me into focus mode,” Hayes says as Top 40 Radio blasts in the background. “It’s not the most peaceful spot, but for some reason, I’ve never been able to get anything done in complete silence.”
Honestly, what Hayes is doing is yielding impressive results. She’s in an exciting new phase of her career. Fueled by rising confidence and an uncompromising attitude, she’s released a solid string of singles in 2024. She began the year with “Just A Girl,” which she released with Billy B and Kevin Rudolf. It soared to #34 on the Top 40 chart following its release. The energetic electro-pop punk banger makes clever use of No Doubt’s “Just A Girl.”
This year, she also performed as a part of the 2024 U.S. Olympic Gymnastic Trials and toured alongside The Scarlet Opera, Flo Rida, Neon Trees, Fetty Wap, and more.
“I grew up a huge fan of Neon Trees, so getting to meet them in person was a total full-circle moment for me,” she says. “They’re super talented and genuinely great people, and the show was awesome.” Hayes tells me that she gets to open for them again at a college show soon. Things are really picking up for her. She’s riding a huge wave of momentum ahead of her debut EP, which is due out in 2025.
A lot of her momentum can be traced back to her breakout hit, “Breadcrumbs,” which went viral on TikTok last year and tells the unfortunate true story of the time Hayes discovered her boyfriend was cheating on her with one of her friends. She made a series of scripted reaction videos that showcased a really fun sense of humor. The running gag of outing people for cheating while she showed them her song was hilarious to me.
@hayeswarner LOLLLLLL BYE RYAN presave breadcrumbs #singersongwriter #newmusic #unreleasedmusic #cheatingwife #cheatinghusband ♬ Presave Breadcrumbs by Hayes Warner - Hayes Warner
“The whole ‘Breadcrumbs’ video going viral was such a crazy surprise!” Hayes says. “I’ve started to care less about making everything perfect and more about sharing content that feels funny to me. The music I write is totally based on my real-life experiences—sometimes maybe a bit too honest. From the moment I wrote ‘Breadcrumbs,’ I knew I had to get it in front of the right audience.”
She really wanted people to grasp the real-life scenario behind the song and for them to understand that it was a personal experience. Her hope was that by sharing the story, listeners might feel more connected to the song—and to her.
“My friends and I embraced the cringe of the video to make that story clear, and we thought it was hilarious to act out what it would look like if I showed the actual guy who cheated on me the song,” she laughs.
“Promoting music on social media can feel super awkward, but I leaned into it, and I’m so glad I did. On tour, it’s amazing to see so many people singing ‘Breadcrumbs,’ many of whom discovered it through those funny, awkward videos.”
Hayes is really good at crafting stories with clear narratives that resonate. A graduate of Northwestern University’s musical theater program, she spent a lot of time studying what makes a good plot.
“Musical theater really helped with the storytelling aspect,” she explains. “I did a lot of script writing and a lot of analyzing scripts and what makes a good play. I love writing meaningful, impactful, storytelling lyrics. It really helped kick off my obsession with lyricism and writing a story in my songs. It also helped with my stage presence. When I'm writing songs, I'm always thinking about how they're going to translate to a live performance and my visuals.”
Visuals have played a crucial role in her latest single, “ZIP.” The song, which dropped on October 11, features a bold visual on the single cover.
Album Art
“I was surprised by how many people reached out after I posted the ‘ZIP’ cover art thinking I’d randomly gotten a huge ‘ZIP’ tattoo on my butt without any thought,” she laughs, making it clear that the tattoo is 100% fake. “The cover art reflects the song’s message and my whole EP: sometimes, it’s easier to avoid serious personal issues and not think about the long-term consequences of big decisions. In the cover art, I aimed for a nonchalant expression to highlight the contrast between getting a giant tattoo and not really caring about it.”
“While therapists often emphasize facing personal-life reality, I tend to cope by creating a delusional one. In ‘ZIP,’ I explore a moment when I preferred being lied to rather than confronting the truth that my boyfriend no longer loved me, saying, ‘your honesty isn’t virtuous if a lie would hurt me less.’”
Her EP as a whole will explore how often we as human beings seek quick fixes for our emotions while ignoring the long-term consequences of those remedies. This really hits home for me. Some of the choices I’ve made in my life have felt like a permanent ZIP tattoo, and my butt still hurts tbh.
“I sensed a breakup was coming, but I didn’t want to deal with the pain of that reality. I craved blissful ignorance and pushed down the truth to keep my life feeling normal and happy,” Hayes says matter-of-factly. “I know this isn’t the healthiest way to cope, but my whole EP is meant to be authentic, not a lesson on how to navigate life healthily.”
Rather than being an introspective number, “ZIP” is a straightforward dancefloor banger. A lot of her music has a pop-punk edge, but this one is a real left hook. It’s a strong innovation on her traditional sound, and she knocks it out of the park.
“The danciness and playfulness of the song play with the idea of blissful ignorance—basically dancing around the truth,” Hayes says. “I wanted it to feel upbeat and fun, but I also wanted the chords, especially the guitar and synths, to have a darker edge because there’s some depth to not wanting to face reality.”
“A lot of the songs on my upcoming EP explore this darkness, showing that everyone copes with their emotions in different ways. But no matter what, that lingering truth and the consequences of what you’re ignoring will still be there. The dance vibe really contrasts with the actual heaviness of the truth.”
If it seems like Hayes is incredibly meticulous when it comes to lyrical depth, that’s because she is. This attention to detail also carries over into her song production. From a compression standpoint, “ZIP” is a real brick wall. It’s relentless snares, kicks, and buzzy synths. None of the other songs in her discography really feel this way. They all have much more of that pop singer/songwriter breathing room in the dynamic range. But that’s because the use-case is different. Hayes didn’t pretend to make a dancefloor anthem. Rather, she crafted one from top to bottom that could actually be used in that capacity. This is meant to keep the energy high and the people at the club dancing. I have a music production background, and this utilitarian approach is wildly impressive to me.
The attention to detail doesn’t stop there. “We were really thoughtful about the vocal harmonies and background vocals in the final track,” Hayes explains, walking me through their production process. “There are a few parts that intentionally clash with the lead melody, but we felt it highlighted the discomfort of pushing down reality to maintain a sense of normalcy.”
“When you know you’re living in a delusional state, it can create a lot of tension and discomfort that builds up over time. We loved incorporating those awkward vocal stacks to capture that feeling.”
From her favorite coffee shop, Hayes shifts her focus from “ZIP” to her broader creative philosophy. “When it comes to where I create, I think that matters too! I believe the environment can totally influence the energy of a song,” she says. “I know a lot of the music industry is in Los Angeles, and I’ve been so lucky to collaborate with some incredible people there. But honestly, I feel like I’ve found my most authentic sound writing music right here in NYC. The city’s energy fuels my creativity.”
Growing up in New York City, Hayes was surrounded by hardworking people from all sorts of industries. The hustle has been a game changer. “It instilled a go-getter energy and a fast-paced, no-nonsense attitude in me,” she says.
Relentlessly driven; thoughtful and articulate; with the ability to release both pop punk anthems and dancefloor bangers. I can’t help but wonder how someone could be dumb enough to cheat on Hayes Warner.
While I’m sorry that happened to her, selfishly I’m glad it did – because now we all get a killer EP this spring. This is my public petition for the universe to right this egregious wrong and send some good Karma flowing her way.
Everyone go follow Hayes Warner on Instagram.
Then watch the music video for “ZIP” below. Justice for Hayes Warner.